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Rural England Prosperity Fund

Staff and Trustees at Lincolnshire Community Foundation (LCF) in conjunction with North Kesteven District Council are pleased to announce the launch of a capital grants scheme, Rural England Prosperity Fund which is available to charities, community groups, social enterprises, Parish & Town Councils etc operating for the benefit of people living in the North Kesteven District Council area.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund is complementary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda providing £2.6 billion of funding for local investment England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by March 2025.  The fund will support capital costs only and is aimed to level up communities, providing access to activities and opportunities for people living in rurally isolated areas.

£74,389 will be available in the current financial year with a closing date for receipt of applications and supporting documentation on 16 February 2024.  Bids of between £5,000-£10,000 for capital costs will be considered. Substantially more funding will be available in the subsequent financial year when requests of between £5,000-£25,000 (again for capital costs) will be welcomed; closing dates on 1 May and 14 September.  Decisions to be notified within 6-8 weeks. Payments are usually made in arrears.  However, where an applicant doesn’t have the financial resources to cover the project costs, payments may be made in advance or in staged payments. 

Grants should enable places to invest in and/or restore their community spaces and create the foundations for growth at neighbourhood level.  The intention is to strengthen the social fabric of communities, building pride in place by improving local community facilities, creating opportunities to bring people together and create social connections that will grow and thrive. Projects must be in a rural area e.g. towns, villages and hamlets with populations below 10,000, or market or ‘hub towns’ with populations of up to 30,000 that serve their surrounding rural areas as centres of employment and in providing services.

Examples of the type of investment that will be considered include:

• the purchase of property, land, or buildings by the community for the community. 
• the purchase of equipment (including replacement).
• the conversion, improvements or refurbishment of buildings for community purposes.
• the creation or enhancement of walks, trails and cycle paths including access improvements.
• capital investment designed to improve the sustainability and resilience of rural communities including the creation of new services and amenities or improvements to existing provision in support of community cohesion and inclusion. 
• Investments in renewables, green power and energy efficiency measures which lessen the reliance of Rural Communities on fossil fuels and make a positive contribution to Net Zero e.g. projects aimed at reducing fuel costs at a time of exponentially rising prices, Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points, solar panels and ground source heat pumps.
• Investments in digital connectivity, awareness, and infrastructure which will improve community confidence, including broadband.

These are examples, and we would welcome and encourage potential applicants to get in touch to have a chat about a prospective bid.  The application process is straight forward, and help is available every step of the way from out the LCF team.

Applicants should demonstrate value for money and therefore the decision to match fund proposals may be critical. The greater the funding requirement the greater the expectation that applicants will be required to contribute. 

Full details are available on the Lincolnshire Community Foundation’s Grants Page at www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk.

In a joint statement, Councillor Mrs Sally Tarry, who has overview of community initiatives at North Kesteven District Council, said that the potential presented through the Rural England Prosperity Fund in connecting communities and opening up new initiatives, approaches and opportunities was impressive.

“We know how innovative our communities, charitable organisations, social enterprises and local councils are in identifying and initiating activities for the benefit of residents and in building supportive, safe, cohesive communities. To be able to access up to £10,000 towards capital costs through this initial allocation of funding has the potential to make the world of difference for such initiatives.

“I am excited to see the range of ideas that come forward and encourage any group or organisation that thinks they may be eligible to connect with the Lincolnshire Community Foundation to progress their bid and ensure the money is put to best use in bringing forward and sustaining projects that matter to people and make a difference to community life.

“Later in the year we will have a further £225,000 available, in grants up to £25,000. To have the ability to direct around £300,000 of government funding into levelling up and strengthening the foundations of our flourishing communities is most welcome. I believe it will have a significant impact in developing pride of place and community growth at neighbourhood level”.

Sue Fortune, CEO at Lincolnshire Community Foundation says: “This is an opportunity for local organisations providing crucial services across our rural communities to access much needed funds to improve local facilities that will benefit residents now and into the future, whether it’s to install a new kitchen in a community hub, secure   funding to complete a community play area or complement funds already secured to install solar panels.  I’d encourage anyone interested in applying, but not sure whether their project is eligible, to contact Hayley Crawford at the Foundation”. For an application form and more information: Contact Hayley Crawford  hayley@lincolnshirecf.co.uk Telephone (01529) 305825, or download the Fund Guidelines and an Application Form from our Grants Page at https://lincolnshirecf.co.uk/available-grants/

LVET is an infrastructure organisation representing areas within the voluntary and community sector, your feedback is vital for us to improve the way we do things in the future.  The purpose of the survey is to check we are listening to our members. Delivering what you need and expect, learn about the areas where you think we are doing well, and areas where you feel we could improve. 

We have an LVET away day in January and these survey results will help shape our plan going forwards, so it is important we know what is important to you. Following the away day, we will share progress and keep you updated along the way. 

Information shared with us is anonymous: unless you would like to include your contact details at the end for us to contact you directly to gather any further information if required. If you choose to share your email contact with us, it will only be used for the purposes of responding to this survey.

You can share your thoughts here.

Lincolnshire Community Foundation

Household Support Fund launched in South Kesteven

Lincolnshire Community Foundation is delighted to be working with South Kesteven District Council to provide vital funds across the District.

Grants of up to £300 will be given to individuals and families, who have not received any cost of living support across the District. Funding originates from UK Government via the South Kesteven Household Support Scheme.

We recognise there are many households across the area who find themselves in financial hardship or just about managing, but do not qualify for any other benefit or income support. Support will be given predominantly in the form of vouchers for food, energy (no cash grants are given).

Katie Littlewood, Lincolnshire Community Foundation, Grants Manager for this fund said: “The Foundation has been invited to continue working with South Kesteven District Council to support people who haven’t been entitled to Government’s cost of living payments. We understand what a difficult time this is for many and will do what we can to help.”

Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community), Claire Moses said: “This fund aims to support those on a low income, have limited savings, and are particularly at risk due to factors such as disabilities or caring for young children. I would urge anyone struggling, even if they are not on any benefits, and who feels they might be eligible and needs help with their application to get in touch with the Community Foundation.”

Applications can be made via the Lincolnshire Community Foundation Website www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk from 2^nd October until 18^th March 2024. Those without internet access should contact the Grants team on 01529 305825 or email katie@lincolnshirecf.co.uk

Notes to editors: About Lincolnshire Community Foundation

Lincolnshire Community Foundation is the county’s leading independent grant maker founded in 2002 and part of the network of 47 Community Foundations across the UK delivering positive outcomes for People and Places. Our work is grounded in the value of #ChangeNotCharity. The Foundation has, since its inception, distributed upwards of £18m with emphasis on small grants delivering a big difference. https://lincolnshirecf.co.uk

Lincolnshire Community Foundation

Lincolnshire Community Foundation are delighted to be working with West Lindsey District Council to provide vital funds across the District. Grants of up to £300 will be given to individuals and families, who have not received any cost of living support across the District. Funding originates from UK Government via the West Lindsey Household Support Scheme.

We recognise there are many households across the area who are finding themselves in financial hardship or just about managing, but do not qualify for any other benefit or income support. Support will be given predominantly in the form of vouchers for food, energy (no cash grants are given).

Katie Littlewood, Lincolnshire Community Foundation, Grants Manager for this fund says:

The Foundation has been invited to continue working with West Lindsey District Council to support people who haven’t been entitled to Government’s cost of living payments. We understand what a difficult time this is for many and will do what we can to help.

Cllr Trevor Young, Leader of West Lindsey District Council says:

West Lindsey is pleased to be working with the Lincolnshire Community Foundation to support the delivery of the Housing Support Fund applications’

Applications can be made via the Lincolnshire Community Foundation Website www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk from 11^th August 2023 until 18^th March 2024. If you do not have access to the website, please contact the Grants team on 01529 305825 or email katie@lincolnshirecf.co.uk

Notes to editors

About Lincolnshire Community Foundation

Lincolnshire Community Foundation is the county’s leading independent grant maker founded in 2002 and part of the network of 47 Community Foundations across the UK delivering positive outcomes for People and Places. Our work is grounded in the value of #ChangeNotCharity. The Foundation has, since its inception, distributed upwards of £18M with emphasis on small grants delivering a big difference.  https://lincolnshirecf.co.uk/

Lincolnshire County Council is coordinating a submission to the Department of Health and Social Care’s Accelerating Reform Fund. 

They already have some ideas submitted by voluntary organisations and from care providers. For example: Wraparound support for people when they go home from hospital; a deep clean and maintenance service; a review and redesign of the Carers Emergency Response Service; an approach to carers for people with Learning Disabilities as they age, an expansion of information and advice services; or an extension of the Trusted Assessor system. 

Can you add value to the suggestions? Do you have ideas of your own that would speed up or scale the adoption of innovative practice? Or that will build capacity in adult social care in Lincolnshire? 

If you have ideas or want to add to existing ideas get in touch with LVET via paul.gutherson@lvet.org or contact Joanne.Osborn@lincolnshire.gov.uk  as soon as possible. 

At this point all that is needed is a high level outline describing the idea, the outcomes you hope to achieve, the challenges you might face, what you will measure to prove its impact and what teh overall impact will be.

Your ideas should meet one of the 12 priorities set by the Minister of State for Care: 

Priority 1: community-based care models such as shared living arrangements 

Priority 2: supporting people to have greater control over their care options, such as by using digital tools to self-direct support or communicate needs and preferences 

Priority 3: investment in local area networks or communities to support prevention and promote wellbeing, enabling people to age well in their communities 

Priority 4 (focusses on unpaid carers): ways to support unpaid carers to have breaks which are tailored to their needs 

Priority 5: digital tools to support workforce recruitment and retention, for example through referral schemes 

Priority 6: develop and expand the impact of local volunteer-supported pathways for people drawing on care and support 

Priority 7 (focusses on unpaid carers): ways to conduct effective carer’s assessments with a focus on measuring outcomes and collaboration 

Priority 8 (focusses on unpaid carers): services that reach out to, and involve, unpaid carers through the discharge process 

Priority 9: digital workforce development and market shaping tools with capability to map, strengthen and grow local workforce capacity relative to system demand 

Priority 10: social prescribing to connect people with information, advice, activities and services in the community 

Priority 11 (focusses on unpaid carers): ways to better identify unpaid carers in local areas 

Priority 12 (focusses on unpaid carers): ways to encourage people to recognise themselves as carers and promote access to carer services.